In Passing Time
by PaigeyPossum
Summary: I learned from Candor... I learned from Candor many things. What I didn't know, is that the most important lesson Candor taught me was a pretense of honesty, even when your entire existence is a lie. Eric/OC
1. Prologue

I learned from Amity that passivity is not peace, but denial.

I learned from Abnegation that enabling is not kindness.

I learned from Erudite that knowledge without character is brutality.

I learned from Dauntless that fear without hope brings chaos.

I learned from Candor... I learned from Candor many things. What I didn't know, is that the most important lesson Candor taught me was a pretense of honesty, even when your entire existence is a lie.


	2. 1) Prancer

"Violet Gideon." A petite girl in a yellow dress fluttered down to the platform. She picked up the knife, delicately slicing her hand, until a drop of her blood fell into the soil. Amity cheered. _That was predictable._

I sat straight up in the dizzying blur of black and white. No noticeable anxiety to the untrained eye, but my back felt tense and my fingers curled slightly around the armrests.

"Raleigh Gordon." I stood slowly, casually slipping past a couple to the right of where I sat, alone. There was a whispering echo in the room of factions speaking amongst themselves about their new initiates and guessing what faction the next youth would choose. Very few in Candor recognized my last name as that of the deceased ambassador to Erudite, Valor Gordon. Even fewer would associate his name with anything other than the article headline, "Candor Ambassador Found Dead, Motivation for Suicide Revealed"_._ I was looking forward to cutting all association with that incident.

My black canvas shoes were silent on the marble floor. I briefly made eye contact with the Dauntless Leader, Max, before picking up the knife. My lip curled slightly, expecting cold metal, but instead that feeling was mixed with the warm leftover sweat of nervous transfers. I immediately placed the blade on my left palm, but hesitate. At 18, I doubted the ability of any initiates to make a wise decision about the faction they would spend the rest of their life in... if they didn't become factionless.

Wise or not, I had already made my decision. And unwilling to draw attention to myself by hesitating further, I slid the knife across the edge of my palm allowing a minuscule puddle of red to collect before I turned my hand, dropping red on the searing black coals.

Dauntless cheered. I walked over, nodding my head as a few members patted me on the back offering their rowdy welcomes, which I return with a hopefully genuine-looking smile and nod. One handed me a small bandage for my hand. The attention quickly subsided as the next name was announced.

I knew the route quite well. It was a pastime for me to watch the Dauntless initiates run each year, so I found myself amongst the Dauntless-born rather than tagging along in the back with the other transfers. A darker boy fell in stride to my right, eyeing me in my white plated skirt and black top. He had gold in his eyes, making them a striking contrast to his complexion. I surmised he thought I looked too proper and innocent for a rugged Dauntless with every bright blonde hair neatly placed in a single dutch braid, and a crisp white collar peeking out the elbow-length sleeves and neck of the cotton blouse.

He ran quietly beside me until we reached a rock column. "Can you climb?" He had to speak loudly over the ruckus of other initiates, but his tone was playful. I grinned in reply, grabbing just above my head level to start at the same time he did. I slowed my pace falling slightly behind him, waiting for those ahead to climb over the edge.

The train approached more rapidly than I expected - a few beginning already to run parallel to the tracks... about half a dozen, one bulky-looking girl with choppy hair equally loud as the handful of obnoxious boys. I followed with those behind them, sprinting as the train began to pass us. Five initiates grabbed a railing and flung themselves into the first open boxcar. The three males left in front of me chose the second carriage, just as I caught up to it grabbing the railing with my left hand. A small rock caused me to lose my footing, my right hand flailing to grasp something.

_Shit._

I was grabbed and yanked up suddenly.

My head span slightly as I steadied myself. "Thanks." Golden-eyes smiled widely with his pearly teeth.

"Anytime!" He said it like he actually meant it. _Sincerity_. It was a rare commodity these days

I leaned my head out the door just in time to see a female initiate struggling to enter the last carriage. She gripped the bar, awkwardly flinging her feet to land in the cart. She was the last one.

"I can't believe Jeremy transferred to Candor!" The boy behind me said to his friend.

"He always was blunt though!" I tuned them out, admiring the view.

"Prepare to jump!" A deep voice echoed. I stepped to the back of the cart.

A whoop sounded as initiates from the first cart jumped. The boys in mine took off as well. _Three two one. _I counted quickly jumping seconds after them. After a second of glory, my feet hit the ground, buckling. My body slid in the gravel. _Graceful_.

Initiates landed behind me as I followed the others across the roof. A yelp pierced the air, so full of desperation it made my hair stand on edge. A flash of brown hair disappeared between the tracks and roof. "Katie!" A small group leaned over the edge, a few yelling. A smaller girl turned and threw up - the same one that almost missed the train.

There was a few moments of stunned silence. It was probably the first death many of them witnessed, or at least the most gruesome. My lip curled at the thought as I turned around.

"This way!" A loud barking voice demanded our attention. The man oozed with authority. Tall, thickly muscled, piercing eyes, tense and impatient as he observed us all. I wondered if initiates' death was a common occurrence for him, or if he was just cold-hearted. His jaw clenched in annoyance... _It's probably both._

I stood on the edge of the crowd, but also towards the front. The smell of a group of sweaty, dirty persons was one I would probably grow accustomed to, but right now, along with the anxiety of the day, it nauseated me slightly.

"Welcome to Dauntless." The man's grin was anything but welcoming, and disappeared quickly back to a tight-lipped unfriendly smirk. "I'm Eric, a leader in this faction." I glanced to the side noticing his commanding air had the full attention of all, except the one girl staring blankly as she still processed the death of her friend.

Eric began again, "To enter Dauntless, you must make a small... leap of bravery." He paused for effect. "Off this wall." He motioned to his left.

"We just jumped." A messy haired boy whined, eyebrows drawn together in a way that probably got him his way with his mother. Anyone with half a brain would have realized not to challenge the direction here in that manner. "Why do we have to again?"

A sharp glare from Eric caused all the boy's confidence to disappear. The Dauntless man looked young, but it was clear why he was a leader. "You don't have to." He threw back at the boy in a mock childish manner. "You can become factionless instead if you choose." Any other objections were quickly swallowed.

"What's down there?" The girl's inquiry was much more intelligent than the last question, but no more welcomed.

"I guess you'll find out." Eric sneered. Before the next question could be popped, "Who volunteers to go first?" A few initiates try to peer over the edge, while some just glance at each other.

I walked forward. Eric watched like a hawk does its prey. I was only two feet away from him before I spoke. "I volunteer." My voice wasn't loud, but still firm.

He held my gaze for a moment, his jaw clenching with disdain, before barking again, "Well hurry up and get on with it." At least I knew it wasn't personal.

I wasted no time stepping up on the wall. A gaping hole appeared in the ground below, but nothing beneath it could be seen. Only darkness. Anyone with half a brain would realize it must be safe. Dauntless would have no benefit killing all their initiates the first day.

"Any day now, initiate." Eric drawled.

I turned around towards the other initiates. Golden-eyes was standing feet away, smiling encouragingly - a stark contrast to Eric impatient glaring. I smirked confidently, not wanting my stalling to be taken as fear, before stepping backwards.

And they were out of sight in an instant.

I held my breath as gravity rushed me downward, my arms by my sides to stop my skirt from flying up completely. _Modesty is important, _He chastised in my memory - he was always the guiding voice in my head_._

The air changed from open and light, to dark with quiet echoing, as I passed through the hole, jagged cement only feet away. But there's only so much I could observe before I landed in something stretchy on my bottom.

I bounced slightly up and down for a dozen rapid heartbeats, not stilling before the net suddenly lowered to my right, causing me to roll to the edge. A brown-eyed woman with short dark hair smiled genuinely. "Welcome to Dauntless, my name's Christina. Step over there please." She motioned towards a tall, serious man with a clipboard. A small number of dauntless members stood many yards back from him, talking and laughing amongst themselves.

"Name." This next man was no-nonsense but not rude. When I hesitated a moment, he continued, "If you don't like your name, you can change it now, but this is permanent. There's no going back."

"Prancer." I replied, using a childhood nickname only my father knew. "My name's Prancer."

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"Breakfast is at 7:30. We train from 8:30-12. Break for lunch. 1:30 begins training again until dinner at 5." Clipboard man, having introduced himself as Four, abruptly turned left entering a doorway. "Bathrooms and showers to the right. Bunks to the left. This is where you'll be staying during initiation."

"Boys and girls together?" A small voice asked. The curly red-head didn't need to be drawing more attention to herself. When they split the initiate between Dauntless-born and transfers, 4 of the 6 female initiates left. It was just me and the extremely out of place Amity transfer who just lost her friend - who was probably the only reason she transferred to this faction. And then there were 8 boys. The number of transfers were small this year.

"Yes." Four looked almost like he pitied her. Almost. But annoyance was much more pervasive. It seemed to be a common trait amongst those in Dauntless authority. "Pick a bunk. Grab some clothes, and discard your old one's here." Four motioned to a pile by the doorway next to an empty trash bin. "Dinner is in 45."

Everyone scrambled, some to grab clothes, others to a bunk. I turned and chose a top bunk, close to the door, and under a vent. The Amity transfer, after grabbing the smallest clothes in the pile, followed me, picking the top bunk next to mine. Maybe she wasn't so stupid after all.

I sat on the bunk. Three boys plopped down on bunks in the middle of the room, joking and loud. Two were fellow Candor transfers, Jake and Trevor, one from Abnegation, Aaron, who looked eager to shed his quiet Stiff upbringing. They were clearly going to be the "popular" ones, or whatever they were calling it these days, while two other initiates skirted around them trying to gain their favor. One skinny pale boy with shaggy black hair hanging in his eyes sat on his bed in the back corner. Four called his name as Hawke, but I was sure that wasn't his given name, seeing that Abnegation avoided non-traditional names that drew attention. Hawke had changed into a long-sleeve black shirt and pants accentuating the whiteness of his skin. An Erudite transfer had positioned himself on a top bunk. He sat tensely, observing his fellow transfers calculatingly. He glanced my way, giving a cold glare before laying back. Another Abnegation transfer was sound asleep on his bed.

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Dinner was a big ordeal. It appeared that at least half the faction was there. I had arrived early, sitting at an empty table with my tray and watching people trickle, and then flood, in. Amity had followed shortly after me, sitting at her own private table not far from mine. As the tables began to fill up, the bulk of the transfers sat at their own table. Dauntless members walked over to welcome them occasionally. The woman who met us at the net sat down next to Amity with a friend of hers. Krista or something, and I heard her introduce her friend as Tris.

A tray slammed down next to me, interrupting my thoughts. "How you liking Dauntless so far?!" Other Dauntless-born initiates began to take seats around me as well.

"Golden-eyes," I drawled, offering a friendly smirk. Him and his friends laughed at his nickname.

"It's Levi," he extended his hand. "But you call me Golden-eyes if you prefer." He winked.

"Prancer." I shook his hand.

"I'm Alexander!" An initiate across the table gave a friendly grin, anxious to introduce himself. The burly girl next to him looked irritated. "And this is Aria." I merely nodded. They were clearly twins, both broad shouldered, a little short, wavy brown hair, brown eyes, tan skin, but their personalities seemed polar opposite.

"This is Zach." Levi motioned to the friend on the other side of Alexander.

"Nice to meet you," Zach's voice was low. His eyes were so thin, I wondered if it would affect his success in this faction.

"Ella," He pointed to the lanky light-skinned girl, with stick straight dark brown hair, who sat down on the other side of me.

"Shark." I raised my eyebrow as the boy with spikey blue hair sitting across from Ella gave me such a large smile - with his surprisingly white teeth and uncannily pointy canines - that it reminded me, ironically, of a shark.

"And last but not least, this is Remy."

"Howdy," a sandy haired boy poked his head from around the other side of Levi.

They each began scarfing their food, except Ella who ate more delicately.

"So you like it so far?" Alexander repeated the unanswered question.

"It's not bad." I continued answering their many question with short answers, which led them, thankfully, to talk mostly amongst themselves. Levi was unexpectedly quiet (I expected him to be quite talkative), opting to observe me and only speak to Remy occasionally. I excused myself from the table as soon as I finished eating. I hadn't taken much - a portion of grilled chicken, and a small about of potatoes and cooked mixed veggies. It was bland, but better than I expected.

I planned to walk around a bit before going to bed early for an uneventful evening. But those plans were interrupted.


	3. 2) Unexpected Encounters

A/N I withdrew the chapters previously posted and touched them up and combined them to make less but longer chapters.

Please comment! Sloppy? Too long? Too short? Too quick? Too boring? Perfect? Let me know! Also, I have an idea of the story line, but not really planning ahead that well so... low expectations please?

—

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I scrambled to pick up the boxes that dumped on the floor.

"No, it's okay," the woman replied. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I stood to pass her the items I picked up. The brunette was a few inches shorter than me, appearing about 45 years of age. Her eyes crinkled a bit at the edges as she smiled kindly, balancing her boxes against her curvy hips.

I didn't see how she could restack them to carry the ones I was holding as well. "Can I carry these for you?" _Shit, I hope that didn't sound too abnegation._ "I don't have anything to do, and I'd like to see more of the compound anyway."

"Oh, well that is very nice of you." She didn't seem fazed by my offer. "If it's not a bother. I'm taking them up to my shop." I followed as she began walking. I wished I hadn't undid my hair when I left dinner, as it now was in my mouth and face. I tried to brush it away with my shoulders.

"Oh cool, what's the shop for?"

"We sell the finest knives in the city," she answered proudly. "Amongst other items. Knives for throwing, knives for fighting, knives for cooking, Chinese stars, anything you can think of." She spoke quickly with enthusiasm for the trade.

"Do you have a Chakram?"

Her eyes lit up, delighted in someone knowing of the ancient throwing circle. "Of course! We have two different types that are sellable." She pressed the down button for the elevator. She turned her head, dark blue eyes sparkling. "But we also have older ones for display, some that are dated back to the 1700's. They're in a glass case if you'd like to see them."

"Oh, that would be a pleasure." I grinned, sincerely for the first time of the day, as I stepped into the elevator. I was amazed that such artifact from over a thousand years ago were preserved through the wars.

We exited on the 5th, only one below. Apparently, Dauntless went even further underground. This new hall was lit brilliantly, unlike the dim halls I had previously been through. There were multiple clothing stores, gift shops, and then a hair salon, before we arrived.

The shop had large glass panels displaying knife collections of different shapes, lengths, and kinds, belts, and some rusted or older artifacts with dates and locations written under them. _Kanori's Knives and More._ That's what the blinking red letters spelled over the top of the doorway.

"Kanori?" I asked. "Is that your name?"

"Last name. I'm Julie, and there's my husband, Amos." She pointed to a bearded man sitting at a desk, bushy eyebrows pulled together as he sharpened a knife.

Amos looked up upon hearing the door jingle open. "Hey sugar!" He stood and greeted his wife, furrowed eyebrows disappeared into a gentle smile as he towered over her. "And who might this young damsel be?"

"Prancer," I shook his hand firmly. I loved this couple already.

"Eh, so you're a thrower?"

"Yes," I wondered how he knew.

"Calluses," He answered, reading my mind.

It seemed he wasn't all brawn, no brain.

"Come on, let's see what you got."

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My arms and brain were heavy with newly learned techniques as I walked through the corridors. By the time I left the Kanori's, most of the shops were closed, but there was a faint echo of loud music from the pit.

The elevator dinged as it opened.

"You already know the answer is no, Eric." Four hissed, not noticing me against the wall next to the button. "I don't want the leadership position." I didn't know whether to let them know I was there, or stay quiet.

Eric was at his heels, responding sarcastically, "You already know I have to ask, Four." I began to relax as they walked away.

"While we're here..." Eric's tone changed darker, "What have you been sneaking around for?"

Four stopped turning, and I froze up again. I was right in his line of view as he faced Eric. "What?" Four face contorted.

"Never mind." Eric seemed to have gotten the reaction he wanted. The man was smart - I realized - _and dangerous_. He was someone I needed to stay away from. I wondered if his features were carefully schooled, or if his lips held his devilish smirk.

Four seemed to struggle to form words momentarily. "What are you accusing me of?"

"Nothing Four." Eric drawled condescendingly. He strode casually past Four, bumping his shoulder far to hard to be accidental. Eric's tone changed dramatically and forcefully lighter, "On an entirely different subject, I've been tracking the supply levels of weaponry. Our stock seems significantly lower than it ought to be." I was surprised how far their voices carried still clearly down the hall. "The factionless also seem to have gotten their hands on some new arms."

Eric turned back towards Four, now facing me. He told a half step forward, seeming to look down on Four even though Four was taller. "You wouldn't know anything about this now Four, would you?" Eric's voice dripped with the sarcastic taunt.

"What are you accusing me of, Eric?" Four's voice was dark, more forceful as he repeated the same question.

The elevator opened. I must have pressed the button accidentally with my elbow. _Or maybe the devil did it._ Eric glanced up, his glare landing on me. It was deadly.

My first instinct was to run. _Just act natural._ I began to step into the elevator.

"Stop!" Eric barked. _Or not. _He was barreling up to me before I could blink - Four at his heels.

I was frozen halfway through the elevator door. _Shit, so much for laying low._

A dared to look up at Eric just as he halted in front of me. "What are you doing out here?" Recognition gleamed in his eyes. "Initiate," he added demeaningly.

"I was just l-looking around." I stood straight and looked him in the eyes, but my voice cracked slightly. _Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Oh, just looking around." Eric mocked sardonically. "And what did you hear?"

"I didn't hear much." I tried to sound honest. "I'm not one to eavesdrop." _That was a lie._ "I'm just trying to find my way back," I almost whined as Eric still glared unforgivingly. "I got lost..." my voice trailed off, getting quieter each time I opened my mouth.

"Eric," Four tried to interfere. "I doubt she meant any harm."

"You can go Four," Eric sneered at the reminder of Four's presence. "Go on," he said when Four didn't move. "You were so eager to get away from me anyway." Eric grabbed my arm, forcefully pushing me back into the elevator with him.

Four tried to protest, "Maybe I shou-"

"Go away Four." Eric's glare turned back to him. Four looked at me apologetically as the doors shut us in.

Eric was silent, his face uncannily blank as he stared at the back wall facing me. I opted to look at the floor instead. His grip on my arm was painful, but I didn't dare move. I'm sure there would be bruises later.

The elevator opened, Eric whipped me around, readjusting His grip, and marched me out briskly pushing me in front of him. I tried to keep pace but kept stumbling. Eric was fuming inside - and me, being the nearest easy target, was going to take the brunt end of his wrath. I only hoped he would be rational.


End file.
